Boruto: The Dark Ages
by Slushious102
Summary: Boruto loves Sarada, but Sarda loves Inojin... and the thing is... Inojin loves her back. Heartbroken and lost Boruto wonders off looking for something he needs. A vendetta needs to be settled and it won't be in a nice way. Read to find out what happens.
1. Inojin's Birthday

"Boruto!" Sarada yelled as she chased Boruto down.

"What you want dattebasa?" Boruto shoved his hands in his pockets as he turned around. Sarada held out a finger as she caught her breath "I need to ask you something" she coughed out. Boruto sighed and stretched ready to listen to her words.

"Can ya hurry? I have to meet Shikadai and Inojin soon." Sarada stood up straight and fixed her glasses.

"Actually that's what I came to ask... You see, Inojin's birthday is coming up and I don't know what to get him..." Boruto flashed Sarada a smirk, it was adorable how she worried too much.

"C'mon it's Inojin, he'd like anything colourful or something to draw in. I thought you knew his hobbies." He grinned like a mad-man, "Goes to show just how much of a horrible friend you are~."

Sarada gritted her teeth "I am too a good friend!", she balled her hands into fists, "I just didn't know what to get him, more paint or a sketch book is all..."

Boruto held up his hand showing two fingers still grinning.

"Later Sarada, Imma be late if I stay and chit chat. I'm sure you'll figure it out!" With that said Boruto ran off to meet up with his friends.

...

Boruto walked into the burger joint ready to chow down with his friends.

"Aw man! You guys didn't mention Lee was gonna be here, I only brought enough coupons for us three!" Boruto sighed in defeat, he really didn't want to make Metal Lee feel left out. As Both to looked dejected at the coupons, Metal Lee placed a hand on Boruto's shoulder

"It's ok," he shared a smile with Boruto, "I have my own coupon" Lee reassured him.

The four preteens ordered their food and sat in a booth. Immediately Shikadai sparked up conversation.

"So Inojin, where is your party going to be at?" Inojin took a sip of his cola before replying.

"I was thinking I could host it here, I just have to ask my parents." The blond took another sip seeming cool and disinterested in the subject.

'FREE BURGERS!' Boruto thought to himself and as he got excited over the thought he almost choked on a piece of his food, "That's a great idea, I should do that for my birthday."

...

After eating and discussing Inojin's birthday, Shikadai tagged along Boruto.

"So Boruto, you didn't forget his present again, did you?" Shikadai teased as he rested his hands behind his head.

"Actually no, but someone actually did forget... and you wouldn't guess who it is~." Boruto smirked. "Sarada Uchiha" Shikadai chuckled rolling his eyes at the statement.

"I don't believe you." Boruto was known for joking around and Sarada was known for how responsible she is so there's no way that could be true.

"No, I'm serious," Boruto was smiling knowing that it was actually something incredibly uncommon, "she came up to me this morning asking what to get Inojin for his birthday."


	2. The Present

Sarada roamed around in an art shop in deep concentration contemplating what she should get Inojin.

"SARADA!" Called out ChoCho as she ran towards the preteen with glasses. Sarada jumped up from being ripped from her own world as a familiar voice called out to her.

She saw ChoCho running towards her when she turned around to search for the source of that strong yet sweet voice. Sarada squeaked as she embraced ChoCho in a surprise hug.

"Sarada, wacha doing here?" The tanned girl questioned her wondering what she would be doing in this sort of establishment. "OMG, DID YOU FORGET INOJIN'S BIRTHDAY GIFT?!?" ChoCho half yelled half whispered into the uchiha's ear. Sarada rubbed her ear and nodded embarrassment that she had been caught last minute shopping.

Her cheeks burned as she averted her gaze to the ground.

"I had to ask Boruto what to get him..." It was a silent confession but ChoCho had heard it and smirked.

"So… who do you like more, Inojin or Boruto?" She wasn't asking normal like and they both knew it.Sarada's face was redder than a tomato as she fumbled with her thumbs.

"Um...I-Inojin..." She finally confessed to her bestfriend, who in returned screamed like a child who had ice cream for the first time.

"Heh, looks like someone forgot about your gift" Shikadai smirked and nudged Inojin to face towards the art shop across the mall. They could both see Sarada and ChoCho, the preteen with glasses seemed flustered.

"Wanna go say hi and make things more awkward for them?" Inojin suggested knowing that it would make their afternoon more interesting. Shikadai thought about it for a second before agreeing.

"Sure." It's not like they had anything better to do.

The duo walked towards the art shop.

"Oi, Sarada... ChoCho, how are you guys?" Shikadai started as he shoved his hands in his pockets stopping behind the girls.

"Oh, we're fine, just browsing." ChoCho responded as Sarada walked off searching for a gift.

"I like that one, it seems pretty cool~." Inojin pointed out a 3D pen as he let his whisper out into the quiet atmosphere.

Sarada turned and pushed Inojin for startling her. After she realized who he was she pulled him by the wrist and kicked out of the store.

"Out idiot! It's a surprise present for a reason!" Inojin chuckled nervously and grabbed Shikadai robbing him from his conversation with their 3rd team member.

ChoCho walked back to Sarada who had surprisingly made a purchase in the time she had left her alone.

"So whatcha get him?" Piped up ChoCho pointing at the bag Sarada was holding.

"A 3D pen..." Sarada sighed as she pushed up her glasses, "I just need to wrap it and make a note for him."

"You should make it a love letter" suggested ChoCho making Sarada's face to heat up once more.

"Y-you sure? Do you think he'll feel the same?" Sarada stared at Inojin as he walked away with Shikadai.

"Only one way to find out girl~." ChoCho replied as she stuffed her face with potato chips after opening up a bag she got from who knows where.


	3. The Letter

Sarada ran home after buying a birthday card from the mall. She ran upstairs and shut her door placing the pen and card she had bought earlier on her dresser.

She pulled out her pajamas and a towel and walked to the bathroom. She took a quick shower and brushed her teeth. While in the shower she was thinking on what to write on the letter.

Dear Inojin,

Happy birthday, I wish you live a happy life full of color and inspiration. May you live with passion to draw the world's beauty.

"Yeah, this seems good, now for the love letter..." just thinking of it made Sarada's face turn red. She pondered on how to start it, that is until her train of thought was disturbed by a knock on her door.

"Yes?" She called out as her thoughts ebbed away.

"Sarada, dinner's ready~." Sakura called from the other side. Sarada hid the present and note in her dresser and went downstairs to join her mother for dinner.

"Where's papa?"

"He's working with The Hokage, so he'll be home later." Sakura replied as she placed a plate of curry in front of Sarada.

She thanked her mother and dug in her food.

'Papa's always home late, I never get to talk with him…' While these thoughts ran through her head Sakura smiled and started a conversation to break the silence.

"So, I heard from someone that you like Ino's child." she glanced up from her plate to see her daughter turn ripe red. She smirked knowing she struck the right nerve.

"W-who told you that?!" Sarada yelp nervously as she accidentally almost knocked over her cup of water.

"I'm your mother, I know you better than anyone else…" she winked at her flustered daughter, "Also, it was ChoCho who told me." Sakura giggled before took another bite of her curry. Her daughter's expression was truly endearing.

Sarada's face however was deep scarlet as she took a sharp inhale trying to gather her courage.

"Mama... I need your help" Her mother looked up and smiled at the quiet tone her daughter was using.

"With what Sarada?"

"I need help making a love letter for Inojin." Sarada blurted out as she clutched her chopsticks in embarrassment.


	4. The Dynamic Duo

Boruto stood on top of the seventh Hokage great stone face with a bucket of pain and a paintbrush.

"This'll surely get my old man's attention." He grinned satisfied by his plan before he begun.

Before Boruto's paintbrush could touch the stone, a cold hand touched his shoulder.

"You're forgetting something, rather someone." Boruto turned around to see Mitsuki with his own bucket of paint and a friendly smile plastered on his face.

...

It took them a good 15 minutes to deface the Hokage's face.

"Man this is easy." Boruto remarked as he stood on top of the face with pride and basking in the glory of their success.

"Maybe a bit to easy...", Mitsuki added in as he pointed at Sarada passive-aggressively staring at the two boys.

"Oh shit, Mitsuki run!" Boruto shouted as he took off with lighting speed leaving a startled Mitsuki behind.

Sarada arrived at the top of the stone face to find Mitsuki gathering the paint supplies at a leisurely pace. He turned to her and smiled before dashing away from the girl.

"Have fun Sarada." With that said he was chased after her teammates as soon as she recovered from their sudden outbursts of energy.

"Idiots! Get back here!" She yelled furiously as she started to catch up with the two boys.

...

Naruto sighed heavily as he rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"You know, he's more like you than he is me" Sasuke spoke as he looked up at the great stone faces.

"Heh, he still seems able to find ways to amaze us at times..." Naruto remarked tired from all of the work and hearing the news of his son defacing his stone face.

"He misses your attention, you should stay home more often." Sasuke stated as he turned to face the Kage.

"That's a big statement, especially coming from you" Naruto retaliated making Sasuke embarrassed, he already knew that he didn't need to be reminded...


	5. The Party

Everyone was mingling as the food and drinks was being served. Laughter and chatter filled the air as the atmosphere was lively.

Hours slipped by and it was time to cut the cake. Everyone sang the birthday song as Inojin blew out his candles. The sounds of clapping and cheering filled the air as Sai cut the cake.

All the while Sarada had been sitting extremely close to Inojin, she was hoping to steal all of his attention.

For the most part it was working, the whole night he mainly conversed with Sarada.

 _"Perfect, now all he has to do is read my letter... and hopefully he'll love me back."_

Boruto and Shikadai called out to Inojin.

"Oi, Inojin, if you're opening presents anytime soon, open ours first, ya know."Inojin chuckled and nodded

"Alright, which one is it?" He headed to the back table which held all the presents on it.

"It's the biggest box there" Shikadai replied.

Inojin pulled a massive box from underneath the table and read the card on top.

 _"Dear Inojin,_

 _We wish our friend a great happy birthday, and we wish you a good life. May you think of us whenever you're using this,_

 _Your friends Bolt and Shikadai."_

He smiled and carefully opened the gift finding many ink bottles, various of paints, multiple canvases, and a new set of paintbrushes and pencils.

"Awesome", piped up Inojin as he contemplated the new tools that would help make his imagination come to life.


	6. His True Feelings

Inojin went through all the presents, most of them being art related stuff except ChoCho who gave him hair ties and conditioner.

The last present to be opened was Sarada's, and coincidentally she was in the bathroom.

The card read.

 _"Dear Inojin,_

 _Happy birthday, I wish you live a happy life full of color and inspiration. May you live with passion to draw the world's beauty."_

Inojin smiled and twirled around searching for Sarada to thank her.

"Where is she?" He turned to ChoCho who was stuffing her face with cake.

"I dunno" she replied as crumbs fall out her mouth.

He shrugged and opened it seeing the 3D pen and another card. He smiled at the pen and read what was on the second card.

 _"Dear Inojin,_

 _We've been friend for a long time and..."_ he trailed off as he read the rest in his head. His pasty white face quickly turned red as he hid the card in his pocket.

"Someone's seems a bit too happy~..." ChoCho nudged Shikadai and Boruto.

"Man, what's got him giggly?" Boruto smirked and stood up. "Oi, Inojin, you're redder than a tomato, what happened?"Inojin simply shook his head.

"N-nothing, why you ask?" He slipped the pen into his pocket and held his hands up in surrender.

...

The party had ended hours ago and everyone went home.

Inojin lied in bed with the note in his hand, as he read it over and over till he fell into a slumber.


	7. Shenanigans

Boruto, Mitsuki, and Shikadai rode atop the train car to Inojin's house to hang out with him.

"Do you think he's enjoying our presents or did he just put on a cheery smile to just get us to go away?" Boruto wondered aloud.

"He's shady, but not a dick. I'm sure he appreciates our gifts, but I doubt he's using any of them right away." Shikadai reassured Boruto, the blond was a mystery but he wasn't impossible to read, they were friends after all. Inojin appreciated their gifts for sure.

The train came to a stop and the boys hopped off the train. They headed down to Inojin's house enjoying the scenery as they had lively conversation. They walked into the flower shop and were greeted by a sweet woman arranging flowers, it was Ino.

"Good Morning boys, are you here for Inojin?" The three nodded in unison at her question as she asked putting her work on hold just for her guests.

...

Inojin ran downstairs and waved bye to his mom before joining the trio.

"So who's next?" Inojin asked as he leaned on Shikadai, an arm slung over the dark haired preteen's shoulder.

"Well, it's ChoCho, Sarada, the Class Rep, Denki, Iwabe, and a few more..." Boruto listed as he held up seven fingers.

"Let's pick up Denki, it's less of a drag." Shikadai pushed Inojin off of him and started walking towards the tallest tower in Konoha. Inojin just shrugged off the action as he walked after the preteen with a sly smile.

...

They roamed down the wide corridors of the empty mansion.

"DENKI! DENKI!" Boruto shouted loudly as he looked around. Shikadai nudged the blond to shut him up, they were in someone's home, a mansion to be precise. There was no need for such ruckus.

"Hey be quiet, it's rude to shout." Boruto shot him a glare as held up his hands and cast the "shadow clone jutsu."

4 clones of Boruto poofed alive and nodded at the original as they scattered throughout the mansion to find Denki. Shikadai shook his head in disappointment.

"You rely on those clones too much... it's such a drag." He lazily looked at Boruto who pulled his bottom eyelid down and stuck his tongue out.

"You're a drag," retorted Boruto smiled and shrugged, " it's not that bad, besides you have to admit it's easier this way." Shikadai sighed heavily and pulled out his phone to text Denki, "Met us outside your house..." He read the text out loud as he typed and sent it.

"Okay" came a quick reply that he read out loud for others to hear. After that Shikadai grabbed Boruto as he dragged the blond.

"He's waiting for us outside you numskull." He pulled the blond along by the wrist as the rest followed them outside the maze. Denki and Iwabe waved to the group as they exited the house.

"You need a smaller house, ya know..." Boruto complained as he fist bumped Iwabe and afterward rubbed at his wrist as he glared at Shikadai.

"You just need a GPS" Mitsuki teased Boruto, a smirk forming along his lips as he saw the blond prepare a response. Boruto would have spewed it out, if only he hadn't been interrupted by a thought.

"Mitsuki, Shikadai, Denki, Iwabe, Inojin..." Boruto sticked up a finger for each name he listed then turned to Shikadai.

"All of us are here... now we just need the girls," Shikadai sighed as he rubbed his neck, "man, why are we doing this again?" Shikadai questioned out loud suddenly feeling a new wave of laziness hit him. Boruto simply smirked as he was creating a devious plan.

"I ain't telling till it's time to tell~." Was Boruto's only response as he walked away with a devilish smirk.

...

At last, after everyone was finally rounded up. Boruto led them to a burger joint where they gathered to hold some sort of meeting.

"You may be wondering why I had gathered you here, well I'll get to that shortly. I'm hungry." Sarada glared at Boruto as the boy smiled at the displeased faces everyone made.

"Hurry up dobe, I could be training instead of interacting with your shenanigans."

"Then why are you here?" Boruto retorted with his mouth full a cheeky smile present once he finished his statement and continued chewing. But his smart-ass remark only helped causing Sarada to smack him upside the head.

"Because ChoCho is here and she said we're doing something fun!" She looked the side as she whispered the next part, "and you did mention the Hokage..." she trailed off with that last part.

"Why you so interested in my old man anyway?" Boruto looked at her a bit annoyed, "don't you know that the "NEXT" Hokage is gonna be Konohamaru?" Boruto shot Sarada a glare before finishing his burger. "But yes, my dad is part of this grand plan of mine, and we all have very important roles to play."

"Firstly, my dad and the village officials are having a meeting. They won't be in the Kage mansion by then, so that's where we'll play our assault." Everyone was closely paying attention to Boruto's words as he almost whispered it, "Iwabe and Denki will be responsible for making sure the meeting doesn't end early and if it does they'll be the ones to stall." The boys nodded not sure if they actually wanted to get involved in the first place.

"Next, ChoCho and Class Rep will keep any other admin away from the Hokage's office by any means necessary. Inojin and Sarada, if the Class rep and ChoCho should fail you'll be waiting by the office door to give a signal if anyone is coming. Shikadai and I will go in and vandalise anything and everything as much as possible to give my dad a hard time."

"Hold on, if I'm caught, I'll have to deal with my mom... and she's worse than yours." Shikadai became pale and protested as he felt his stomach clench painfully.

"Don't worry my friend, if things go badly - which I really doubt they will - I'll make sure to take all of the blame for the mess. Trust me, if everyone plays their part perfectly no one will get caught." Boruto reassured the crowd of worried preteens.

...

The day came for Boruto's greatest prank ever, but it didn't go out like he expected at all.

...

"Shikadai, you ready?" Boruto asked. Shikadai simply nodded as he held the door open for Boruto as the carried buckets of paint in.

Denki and Iwabe waited out the meeting incase the officials would decide to end the meeting early.

ChoCho and the Class Rep focused on diverting anyone who came their way away from the Hokage's mansion.

Sarada and Inojin were nowhere to be found...

"Oi, where are they?!" Boruto yellingly whispered to Shikadai whom simply shrugged.

"I dunno, but we only have one shot at this, better hurry... " Boruto painted words on the walls such as "Asshole" "Idiot" "Neglector".

Meanwhile Shikadai drew mildly-explicit pictures on the floors and the Kage's desk, like dickbutt and a middle finger.

"Man couldn't you get the artistic kid to do this? What a drag..." Shikadai complained as he tipped a bucket of paint over.

"He'll get caught for sure... at least this way my dad'll think it's a one man job." explained Boruto to the dark haired teen, sometimes it almost seemed as if his dad's super genius genes hadn't been passed down.

...

ChoCho and The Class Rep ran around the village advising anyone, even making sure Naruto's own shadow clones don't go back. They ran north to south, east to west, keeping the outside world from entering the Hokage's mansion. ChoCho suddenly stopped and rested her hands on her knees.

"I'M DYING!" she cried out as the Class Rep handed her a bottle of water.

"You're going to be fine ChoCho, just breathe..." ChoCho dramatically took a sharp inhale, then proceeded to scream.

"BORUTO!"

Boruto felt shivers creep down his spine as he knocked a few books off the shelves.

The meeting had ended early, and it was time for Iwabe and Denki to stall Naruto. Denki completely blanked out on what he was suppose to be doing and Iwabe had to improvise somehow. He took a deep inhale, grabbed Denki's hand and walked towards Naruto.

"Kage-Naruto, I'd like to ask you some questions." his heartbeat was quickening at a steady rate and the boy next to him didn't seem to react or help with his input.

Naruto stopped in his tracks and saw Iwabe and Denki walk towards him.

"What's up?" he replied. Iwabe's faced light up brightly as he blurted something out without thinking twice.

"Will you bless me and Denki as a couple?!" Denki's face burned up as he hid behind Iwabe. Naruto quirked an eyebrow and smiled.

"Sure thing." he smiled at the young boys and their awkward situation. Love sure made kids do stupid things... like asking him for a blessing for a relationship that should only be of their concern. He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel flattered however...

Sarada sipped her milkshake as Inojin came out the ice cream shop with a strawberry ice cream cone.

"So Sarada, is this more enjoyable than participating in devious acts?" Inojin asked as he licked at his ice cream.

"Inojin..." Sarada started as she chose her words carefully "are we a thing?" she asked with a blush creeping on her face. Inojin face grew a shade of pink matching his ice cream.

"Yes..." he breathed out.

...

Iwabe and Denki started to panic as they ran out of idea after idea to try to stall Naruto. It seemed the older blond was headed straight for the Hokage's mansion. Iwabe pulled out his phone and texted Shikadai.

"HE'S COMING, HURRY!" the dark haired preteen replied quickly after reading the message.

"Alright."

"Boruto, your dad is on the way here, we better hurry." Shikadai related Iwabe's information to the blond who drawing middle fingers on the windows. Boruto peered out the doors.

"Okay if we hurry now, we can make it out without getting caught" Shikadai nodded not too sure about the blond's plan but he trusted that he wouldn't let him down and keep his promise.

...

The two bolted out the Kage's mansion and ran downstairs only to bump into Naruto.

Boruto looked up to Shikadai, he slightly waved his hand and motioned for Shikadai to leave.

Shikadai slowly got up, dusted himself off and apologize to Naruto as he quickly ran off. Naruto stared down at his son.

"What did you do this time?" he questioned, eyeing his son suspiciously.

"It depends... will all my acquaintances be pardoned of this crime?" Boruto whispered out as he glared at his old man. Naruto sighed in defeat knowing its best to meet his demands.

"Your acquaintances are pardoned of all crimes, and you'll take responsibility." Boruto smirked and got up.

"Enter your office."


	8. Punishment

Boruto sighed heavily as he watched his ceiling fan spin.

Being grounded for three weeks was the worst. It meant three weeks without social interaction with friends, three weeks without video games, and three weeks without online videos. Basically taking away a part of his life.

He had almost nothing to distract himself with, the only things keeping him sane - for the past week that he had already gone through mind you - were a deck of playing cards, his kunai, a bullseye board, and his shadow clones.

"Stupid old man… takes everything too seriously..." he vented to himself out loud, while his shadow clone listened to him rant about nothing really except his frustrations.

" _Well you did trash his office, paint the walls, ceiling, and floor, not to mention that the words and pictures were somewhat inappropriate..."_ His clone retorted as he looked uncomfortable. Boruto quirked an eyebrow annoyed at the lookalike blond.

"Who's side are you on?" he was feeling aggravated to say the least.

Boruto's clone threw his hands up in defense and shrugged.

" _I'm just a clone, and honestly… technically I wasn't there…"_ he tapped his chin with his index finger, " _or was I?"_ Boruto sighed annoyed, he really needed someone to side with him in this.

"Stop playing mind games on me… you...arg!" he let out a troubled grunt and poofed the clone away. He fell back on his bed ready to sleep away all of his worries. His plan didn't last long as a quiet knock came to his door.

"Who is it?" he questioned frustrated as he was in a foul mood.

"Boruto, dinner is ready" Hinata called from the other side of the door calmly, as it was usual for his mother.

"I'm not hungry." the blond snarled as he sat up glaring at the door.

Hinata had respected her son's privacy but she needed to talk to him. Boruto was going through a tender age and he needed to be guided properly. She wanted her son to grow up to be a healthy young man and have good character just like his father.

"Boruto can I come in?" she asked in a soft voice hoping to calm her son.

"...Sure…" it was true he was pissed but it wasn't his mother's fault. Hinata walked in and sat on her son's bed, patting the spot next to her to signal for her son to sit closer to her.

"..." Boruto scooted over without a word; he was ready to listen to his mother's words but unwilling to change his mind. He wasn't _that_ wrong, the punishment forced on him was completely unfair.

"Boruto, you know that your father and I love you very much," Boruto rolled his eyes, seeing this Hinata pulled him into an embrace, "Boruto I'm serious." she hugged him tightly, almost enough to make him forget he was angry but not quite.

"..." he stood quiet forcing Hinata to continue with the conversation.

"You know… that what you did today was wrong, right?" she felt Boruto stiffen in her embrace but said nothing.

"I know..." he sighed defeated knowing that his mother meant well.

"Why did you do it?"

"I don't know..." was his quiet response as he found himself slightly embarrassed by his childish actions.

He really didn't know why he did what he did. He was frustrated and angry; somehow he just wanted his father to spend more time with him. He knew that it couldn't be helped… but at the same time he couldn't help but to wish for the impossible.

"I know he doesn't spend much time at home, but he can't help it." Boruto forcibly removed himself from her embrace.

"You don't understand me either..." he whispered as he refused to look her in the eye.

"Boruto," she reached out her hand to grab his chin and direct his eyesight to her, "you do know-" just as her fingertips grazed his skin he pulled away from her as if the touch had burned him.

"Yes I do know." he stood from the bed and took two steps to the door, "I don't want to talk about it. Let's go eat. Then I can go back to being grounded." the spark in Boruto's eyes was now gone and Hinata saw this.

"Boruto," Hinata's voice was starting to really aggravate Boruto, it felt as if she was treating him like a damn child. He hated the way they looked down on him.

"Mom, I really don't want to talk about it." he sighed feeling anger start to rise once more, "Let's just drop, I'll take the punishment." Hinata really felt Boruto's words pull at her heartstrings. Boruto looked incredibly like Naruto when he was younger and she remembered how things were and how lonely her husband had been when they were younger.

"Boruto..." she got up and tried to hug him. He shoved her away and sneered at her.

"Nobody listens to what I have to say!" hatred filled his eyes as he yelled, "I'm tired of dad never being home! You always take his side even if he neglects us! Yes he's the Hokage but I don't care! He's _my_ _dad_! And he doesn't care about me!" Boruto rand downstairs in a haste as he quickly slipped his shoes on.

Tears slipped past his eyelashes but he rubbed them away. He exited the building, slamming the door, causing a few pictures on the walls nearby to fall, the glass protecting the memories shattering.

Hinata hurried down the stairs as well heading towards the door her son had exited through but stopped as she saw a small frame out of the corner of her eye. It was Himawari, she had most likely listened to the whole outburst.

Hinata had told her to wait at the table as she went to call Boruto down for dinner. She hadn't expected for things to turn out the way they had. It broke her heart to see her daughter so confused and sad. Tears were running down her face as she stood by the door her brother had run out through.

"Mama… will big brother be okay?" Hinata walked to Himawari and wiped away the fresh tears from her eyes and embraced her gently.


	9. Consequences

Naruto came home early that night. As he entered the house he noticed something was off, something seemed to be missing.

Hinata and Himawari were eating dinner, but boruto was nowhere to be seen. He wondered if the boy was in his room brooding and refusing to eat.

"Where's Boruto?" he asked Hinata as he slipped off his shoes. Hinata looked down as tears streamed down her cheeks, pooling under her chin and slipping into her rice.

"He… left."

…

Boruto sat on the floor in silence gathering his thoughts. So much was racing through his mind; his mother, his sister, his father and uncle... his friends.

"So… what's on your mind?" Shikadai broke the silence that enveloped them. The blond slowly opened his eyes, Shikadai's voice snapping him out of his own little world.

"Everything….mostly my mom..." Boruto spoke as he looked down on the verge of tears, his voice was shaky.

…

"What do you mean he left?! What happened?" Naruto rushed to his wife and wiped away her tears with the back of his hand gently. "We, got into an argument… and he pushed me.. And left..." Naruto embraced Hinata gently as she cried onto his shoulder "I'm so sorry!"

Himawari left her dinner unfinished before she ran upstairs and confined herself in her room. She crawled under the sheets of her bed and brought her knees to her chest. Tears stained her cheeks as she wept silently. She didn't know what to do. Her mother was upset and Boruto was missing, she could do nothing to fix the situation. She felt completely useless.

…

"Hey why don't we get out of here to grab a bite?" Suggested Shikadai trying to lighten the mood, " That way there's less of a chance my mom will find you - since she'll tell your mom - and you won't get in more trouble than you already are." Shikadai reached his hand out to help Boruto up. The blond took his hand and stood as he nodded slowly.

"Yeah...okay." That sounded like a good idea. He always got moody when he was hungry so maybe eating would help him.

…

Shikadai and Boruto walked into the burger joint. A loud chime signaled their entrance to the cashier and the workers.

Shikadai lead Boruto with him to the booth farthest from the door and windows. It would be easier for them to talk peace without being disturbed by anyone who would recognize them. He didn't need to go through any more unnecessary trouble.

"So, from the top. What was what actually happened?" Shikadai questioned as he sat down, sipping the soda he had bought, waiting for an answer. He placed Boruto's drink in front of the blond. Boruto made a face as he swallowed the food in his mouth.

"I dunno, I was angry… I got into a fight with my mom… and I pushed her while I wasn't thinking straight… I just ran..." Boruto looked down as tears soaked his burger. "I was so angry.. I can't believe I was upset enough to push my mom…" he dropped the burger and hid his face in his hands as the teas refused to stop flowing.

"You know… you were the only person I could think of running to at a time like this…" his heart felt a bit lighter after finally letting a bit of everything he was bottling up out.

Their little moment was interrupted when there was a sound of a bell ring indicating that someone had walked through the front door into the burger joint.

Shikadai peered over their booth checking to see who had arrived. There was a chance their parents were here; he wasn't willing to take any chances and possibly make their current situation worse.

Luckily for them it wasn't their parents who had arrived.

Sarada and Inojin walked up to the cash-register. Sarada was placing an order when suddenly Inojin glanced over to the far end of the restaurant and spotted Shikadai.

The dark haired teen began to slowly shake his head. He made obvious gestures of not wanting them around as he glanced down to Boruto signaling him to not get involved.

Inojin slowly nodded and turned back to look at the menu. He quickly gathered his thoughts and also placed an order to not seem suspicious.

"I'd like a… Honey barbecue burger." he really hoped Sarada wouldn't notice Shikadai. His hopes were soon crushed as she whispered to Inojin, a warm smile present on her face.

"Do you want to go sit by Shikadai?" Inojin shook his head causing her smile to fade.

"why not?" She questioned, "He's your friend, right?" she argued as she lifted an eyebrow.

"Well, I really wanted to talk to you alone…" she blushed at his statement, "N-not like that… but I meant that I would enjoy a little alone time with you, to get to know you better, you know?" he reasoned hoping it would satisfy her.

When they received their food, Sarada interlocked her hand with Inojin's and walked over to the table Shikadai was seated at.

She stopped in her tracks as she saw Boruto shaking in his seat, his head was nested between his folded arms as he cried in silence.

She never expected to find Boruto crying his heart out in public. She wasn't surprised he left his home -since there was no way that they could keep him locked up - but at the same time she just didn't expect to find him in such a delicate state. He was their pillar after all. He was there to always reassure his friends, and now it was her turn to return the favor.

"Boruto…" she muttered causing Boruto to jump up and wipe his tears with his sleeves.

She gently placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Boruto felt his heart shred into pieces as his mind forced him to think about his mom and the way he had treated her.

He tried to resist the tears that were threatening to fall but in the end he couldn't help but to allow them to rain on the table.

"I'm so sorry..." he mumbled out loud as Sarada and Inojin sat down and tried to comfort the distraught preteen.

The tears stung his eyes, wanting to keep falling but he didn't mind the pain and he didn't allow them to fall. His mind was focused on other things.

After a few minutes of Boruto crying to his heart's content - while his friends attempted to comfort him - Naruto suddenly walked into the restaurant.

"Boruto…" Boruto heard the voice of the man he loved and resented, the simple sound of his voice sent many mixed emotions though him.

Boruto looked up almost instantly when he heard the familiar voice. Their eyes met, his widened a fraction once he saw that it wasn't his mind playing tricks on him.

Naruto was there, he would have said in bone and flesh but he was sure it was just a clone. At the moment that was beside the point.

After their eyes met his survival instincts kicked in. It was fight or flight and before he could think of which to choose his body moved on its own accord.

He swung his legs around and jumped over the booth sprinting towards the door.

As he ran outside the sudden urge to stop overcame him. He paused for a moment, long enough to glance back and for him to see Naruto, his face was stricken with tears. He didn't realize it at the moment but he was in the same state. Boruto's heart shattered.

"I'm sorry, I love you both..." was mouthed off into the air as he reached into his ninja pouch and took out a kunai. He grit his teeth as he threw the kunai at his father's clone, hitting him in the chest and poofing it away.

Boruto ran off in the direction that would be the farthest away from people in general.

Tears blurred his vision as thoughts clouded his focus. All he wanted was to be alone.

He found himself in the forest roaming aimlessly not sure of what he wanted to do now. All he wished for was solitude.


	10. The Note

Boruto wandered the forest. The Sun had gone down some time ago and it was dark, it was a completely different experience to be wondering the dense foliage when there was almost no light. The only thing keeping him from wandering around in complete darkness was the moonlight shining through occasional patches.

It wasn't like he was scared or anything but this was the first time he had been truly alone. He hadn't noticed before because of the adrenaline that had rushed through his system when he had first run off, but now that the adrenaline had worn off he felt cold. He was completely alone…

He didn't know what to do or where to go. He hadn't really thought things through, he had run off in the heat of the moment after all, but he'd be damned if he would crawl back to his parents with his tail between his legs.

As this angry thought passed through his mind a familiar voice grabbed his attention.

"Boruto?" a cold hand took a hold of Boruto's shoulder and on reflex he pulled out a kunai and tried to strike.

His kunai was met with another kunai, the friction between the blades causing a spark to ignite.

Mitsuki was there smiling at him, a bit entertained by the fact that Boruto was enough on edge to attempt to attack him.

"Don't pop up out of nowhere like that!" He held a hand up to his chest grasping the cloth over his heart, "What are you doing here anyway?" Mitsuki arched a brow a smirk almost playing at his lips. But he opted to smile instead.

"I could ask you the same question~." the teal haired teen smiled as he saw Boruto blush in embarrassment.

"It's kind of a long story..." Boruto scratched the back of his head as he looked away from Mitsuki's piercing gaze.

"I have time." Mitsuki smiled at Boruto in a reassuring way making the blond feel safe.

"It's a big mess, I'll explain later..." Mitsuki nodded accepting Boruto's response, for now, "What about you, why are wandering around in the forest at night?" Mitsuki seemed a bit surprised by the sudden questioning.

"I'll explain about that later." Boruto narrowed his eyes at the answer, yes he had said the same to Mitsuki but he had asked a question, "How about you, shouldn't you be at home right now? I thought you were grounded."

"I still am..." Boruto shoved his hands into his pockets, "But there's no way I'm going back." Boruto sat down cross legged on the forest floor as he crossed his arms, showing his unwillingness to change his mind. Mitsuki found this entertaining.

"Where will you spend the night?"

"Beats me…" Boruto looked up at Mitsuki, "all I know is that I'm not going back." Mitsuki smirked at the preteen's bold statement.

"If that's the case, then stay with me." the teal haired teen held a hand out for the blond preteen to take.

"Are you sure?" Boruto took the offered hand and stood, "Won't your parents ask questions or think I'm imposing?" Boruto dusted his pants, it wasn't like he actually cared if he was really imposing but there was no way that he would get thrown under the bus by some nosy adults he had never met.

"You're not imposing and no one will question why you're at my home." There was no further explanation offered to Boruto besides that small piece of information, "Let's get going." Mitsuki grabbed Boruto's wrist, but before the teal haired teen could start dragging him, Boruto pulled his wrist away all the while looking troubled.

"I have to do something first." Mitsuki nodded and didn't pry any further. He followed Boruto silently.

...

It wasn't a big surprise for Mitsuki to see that Boruto had gone home.

"Wait here," was whispered into his ear as he could feel Boruto's warm breath tickle his ear.

And just as he was told he waited outside the Hokage's home for the blond preteen to return.

…

Boruto sneaked into the house through a window and tiptoed to the kitchen smiling once he reached the fridge.

He looked at a photo of Himawari on top Naruto's shoulders with Boruto and Hinata holding his hands. He let out a quiet sigh as he placed the note he had written on his way home on the fridge and held it up with a dinosaur magnet - this was all too sad for him, the little dinosaur magnet had been bought by Himawari for Boruto's birthday. She had given it to him as a present.

"Brother…" a small voice called out. He had thought maybe it must have been the nostalgic feeling that had made him imagine things but he knew that the small steps he had heard were real.

Boruto turned around to see Himawari standing behind him. She had her stuffed panda in hand, "you're home!" she smiled brightly as she ran upt to Boruto and embraced him. Boruto accepted her embrace and he kissed her head.

"I'm sorry…" he frowned against her hair, "but I'm not staying" Boruto shifted as he cried onto her shoulder and held her tighter. Her small heart shattered as she heard her big brother's words. She stumbled back as tears filled her eyes.

"Boruto…" she gritted her teeth as she activated her byakugan "I won't let you leave… I can't!" She took her stance and activated her eight trigrams. Boruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Himawari, I love you too much to hurt you, so I ask you as your brother, please go back to bed." Tears threatened to leave his eyes but her fought them back. The emotions he was feeling at the moment were overwhelming him, he needed to stay strong.

"But if I let you leave… I'll never get to see you again!" she retorted knowing very well that she was right. She was young but she wasn't stupid. Himawari had heard plenty of stories of the relationship his father had with Sasuke, she didn't want her brother to run off like her uncle had. She lowered her stance and walked towards her brother wanting to embrace him once more.

"I don't want you to leave again, please don't go" she had hated how he had left during dinner. It had been unbearable even if it had been for only a few hours. There was a deep dark feeling looming over her brother that she just couldn't shake. She cried as she fell into Boruto's arms. He held her close and kissed her head, trying to convince her to let him go.

"I'll write you letters, I promise, but I need to do this… I need to think..."

"Can you at least stay until I fall asleep?" she begged as she wiped her tears on his jacket. He nodded slowly and picked her up. He walked upstairs and tucked her in bed as he sat at the edge.

"I love you brother…" she said as she yawned and held her brothers hand.

He sat at the edge of her bed and held her hand until she finally fell fast asleep. Tears long dry on her cheeks, one of the only clues he had been here. The other piece of evidence being the note he had left on the fridge.

"I love you too." he whispered sweetly before he stood up and walked towards his own room.

…

He heard a small subtle cough behind him as he packed his clothes.

"Boruto…" Boruto turned around to see his mother standing behind his father, holding his arm, looking like she was holding some thoughts back. Boruto sighed heavily, he didn't need this right now.

"Don't stop me…" he finished packing and threw on his backpack.

"Be careful sport" Naruto lifted his fist to Boruto and gave him a small smile. Boruto fist bumped his father and glanced at his mother. The tears won the battle as they escaped their prison, Boruto embraced his mother and cried on her "I love you mom."

...

Boruto jumped out his room's window and walked along the roof's tiles trying to be careful and make as little noise as possible.

He was only carrying essentials in a backpack slung over his shoulders. Hs jumped off the roof landing next to Mitsuki with a soft thud.

"You're all done?" asked Mitsuki as he pushed himself off the wall on the side of Boruto's house's walls he was leaning against.

"Yeah."

"Then let's get going." With that said they left at a fast pace. Boruto spared the house a last glance before he chased after Mitsuki.

...

The two entered Mitsuki's apartment for the night as Mitsuki made Boruto a makeshift bed from the couch, it was only a spare pillow and a blanket.

"We'll sleep here and leave first thing in the morning" Boruto stated as he placed his bag near the door.

Mitsuki ignored him as he entered the kitchen "Hungry?" he asked as the fridge opened. Boruto shook his head and lied down on the couch "nah."

With that the pale boy closed the fridge and crept in his bed, both of them drifting to sleep by the sound of the wind outside.


End file.
